As temperatures rise, remember to stay hydrated

Nikki Sommer, a nurse with Key West Surgical Group, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5 FM for Medical Matters yesterday morning.

As the temperature warms up, drinking enough water is very important.

Sommer said, “Everybody always told you the eight by eight rule, they call it where drinking eight eight ounce glasses of water a day, which comes out to like 64 ounces is what you should do. Science has said that there is really no one size fits all formula. It depends on certain factors. Now however, for us down here, as it heats up, and we sweat more, we will probably require at least 64 ounces if I had to guess. It is a lot of water. You get you get water from other sources, basically. So like the panic of I didn’t drink my 64 ounces of water today. It’s not necessarily that concrete.”

Different factors can also affect how much water is needed by the individual.

Sommer said, “Our weather it tends to be hotter. So if you’re in a warmer climate and you’re going to be outside working or even if you’re just running errands, if you sweat, you might feel thirsty, you need to drink water. Exercise, if you’re somebody that’s highly active, you sweat, you definitely need to drink extra water to recover the loss of the fluid that you had during your workout. So drink water before, during and after the workout. It’s always good if you do work out to have a water bottle with you so you don’t get so parched that you’re running, scrambling to find something to drink.”

Pregnancy is also a factor.

Sommer said, “If you’re pregnant, you’ll always need additional fluids to stay hydrated because you are growing another life inside you. So they’re taking your nutrients and your water. Your body loses fluid when you have a fever, vomiting or diarrhea. So if you’re sick, even with a cold, a lot of times you don’t want to eat or drink as much because it doesn’t taste the same or you just feel yucky, you need to make sure you maintain your hydration when you’re not feeling well.”

How much water should be consumed?

Sommer said, “The US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine determined that adequate daily fluid intake and I think the key there is fluid, not necessarily water, about 15.5 cups of fluids a day for men and 11.5 cups of fluids a day for women. So now that’s over 64 ounces, but it’s not saying that it all has to be water. It can be other beverages and food. 20% of our daily fluid intake usually comes from food and the rest from drinks. So even though we tell you high sugary, carbonated drinks like soda isn’t good for you It is still a liquid.”

How do you know if you’re drinking enough?

Sommer said, “If you feel thirsty, you say, I need to drink something, you’re probably dehydrated. Thirst is the biggest indicator or do you have dry lips? Those are things that will tell you that you’re not drinking enough. If your urine is pale or yellow, colorless, light yellow, they say then you’re hydrated. If it’s dark, dark yellow, if you see sediment in it, it means you’re dehydrated, so you need to drink a little bit more.”

Can a person drink too much water?

Sommer said, “If you’re naturally healthy or just a healthy , well nourished individual, drinking too much water shouldn’t be an issue because your kidneys help filter out the excess water. Drinking too much water can dilute the sodium in your blood, which can be life threatening. So that’s where it becomes an issue. Years ago a woman died doing a water challenge trying to win a game system. I don’t know how much water she drank, but part of it is I don’t think she eliminated either. But it was probably drinking so much at one time and it was too much for her body to process. So it probably took her sodium level down to like, barely nothing, which then becomes life threatening.”

Too much water isn’t terribly common.

Sommer said, “No, I mean, you have to be careful if you’re older and you have kidney disease. You need to talk to your doctor about what would be adequate fluid intake for you to have. The other thing is I didn’t mention, there are fruits and vegetables that provide you water. Watermelon and spinach are pretty much 100% water by weight. I believe celery is another one.”

There are ways to keep track of your water intake too.

Sommer said, “NBC spoke with two nutritionists and they had some recommendations for staying hydrated. Start your day with a big glass of water and then develop a good habit. So if you’re not one to drink fluid throughout the day, it’s just not something you think about starting with a big glass of water, develop a good habit routine, like drink at least a glass with meals and snacks if you’re not going to have anything else to drink. Find a water bottle that you like and take it with you. Right now all over the internet, the craze is Stanley Cups. The company’s been around for 110 years, but now all of a sudden it’s a trend. They come in pretty little colors, so whatever it is that gets you to stay hydrated. In case you needed more help, there’s an app for that. There is there’s a few apps to help you stay hydrated. Aqua Alert. My Water hydro coach and plant nanny. So plant nanny apparently this is what was in the article. You can be a plant character. So I guess when you document how much water it’s like watering the plant so if it’s wilting and crying, you haven’t had enough water. Whatever it takes to keep you hydrated.”

It will be hot again before we know it, so don’t forget to hydrate.

Sommer said, “If we remember how scorching our summer was, we did have a lot of people have issues because they didn’t drink enough. They got dehydrated.”

For more information, click here:  https://www.keywestsurgicalgroup.com/